Implore - Subjugate album review

Bleak but brilliant crust-infused DM from Italian n’erdowells

Cover art fro Implore - Subjugate album

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In eyeballing the logo and artwork gracing the cover of this quartet’s second full-length, you wouldn’t be condemned to the gallows for assuming frosty black metal was the order of the day. To the contrary, a powerful wall of crust-infused, punk-speckled, Swedish death metal subverts the imagery and assaults the ears. Guitarist/vocalist/lone original member, Gabriel Dubko was obviously reared on all of the above and, by default, the HM-2 pedal, which has resulted in him leading his charges along a dizzying (left-hand) path of majestically massive guitar riffs and emotional vocal discharge augmented by drummer Guido Montanarini’s linear, but peppy, take on the classic d-beat, thrashing two-beats and grinding blasts. The results are songs like Paradox, and Totalitarian, which, despite their bleak misery, will be difficult for anyone listening to get out of their heads.